1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a food plate and more specifically relates to a food plate that enables a user to simultaneously hold a plate of food and drink with one hand, leaving the other hand free.
2. Description of the Related Art
In many social events such as parties and picnics, it is quite common that, during a meal, a person walks around to socialize with other people. He/she usually holds a plate of food with one hand and a fork or spoon with another hand, which makes it difficult for him/her to carry a drink along with a plate of food. Not being able to carry both a plate of food and a drink during social events is a long-standing problem.
Many people have tried to solve the problem through various inventions. For example, in the US patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,373), McKee disclosed a plate having a central area configured to hold and support a drink container. In the US patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,052), Damato reported a food plate comprising an adaptable cavity on a food plate. The cavity is used to hold a drink container. In the US patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,860) issued to Comeaux, a plate and glass assembly is invented to enable a person to hold both the plate and glass single handed. In the US patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,425,480), Krueger reported a portable device that combines a drink container and food tray. In addition to many issued patents, there are several commercial products addressing the problem in the market.
However, these inventions and products have weaknesses. Some of them increase manufacturing costs and some of them are difficult or awkward to use. The present invention solves the above problem by creating removable sections near the edge of a food plate. The removable sections are connected with the rest of the food plate through perforated lines or other kind of weakening lines. Once the removable sections are detached from the plate, recesses appear near the edge of the plate. A user can insert his/her fingers into the recesses and simultaneously hold the plate and a drink placed on the top of the plate with one hand.
Although some inventors have used perforation to create removable portions on a food plate, the purposes of their inventions are different from the present invention. For example, in US patent titled Conversation Generator (U.S. Pat. No. 7,093,832), Mary Louise Parker uses perforated lines to create removable tabs on a food plate. Conversation topics are written on the back side of the tabs. A user can use the written topics to initiate conversations during parties. In the US patent titled Portion Access Pie Plate (U.S. Pat. No. 3,580,484), the inventor uses lines of weakening to define a detachable portion of a pie plate from the rest of the plate for the purpose of easily taking a pie out of the plate. In the US patent titled Condiment-carrying Lid (U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,748 B1), Lee Wayne Dunbar creates a perforated drinking section along an edge of a cup lid, allowing a user to inserting additives in the drink. In the US patent application titled Interlocking Storage Carton (US Patent Application No. 20030006273), Micah Tsern invented an interlocking carton which can be easily assembled for storing food.
The above mentioned patents utilize weakening lines to define detachable sections on a surface, but the purposes of these inventions are to solve different problems from the present invention does. Therefore, there is no prior art for the present invention.